The Ghost Murders
by Ismira Daugene
Summary: Sarah Williams is a journalist following her first big assignment, the Ghost Murders! The series of heinous murders lead her down a dark path that she may come to regret stepping on. Old familiar faces emerge from the darkness, and not all of them are friendly. Will Sarah be able to solve the murders before another innocent is killed? Will she be able to face her demons?
1. Chapter 1 - The Gift

**The Ghost Murders**

 **by: Ismira Daugene**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Gift**

A flash of a smile. A smoldering look. A glint of something just a little bit dangerous in his eye. Mortal women were so easy to entrance.

Jareth swaggered past the muscled bouncers and into the club. He'd been here before, but not for a few months. He didn't like to frequent any given place too often for fear of someone recognizing him. Most mortals were far too dense to put two and two together, but on the off chance that someone did, he jumped from club to club frequently.

Tonight he was visiting a small place in Lower Manhattan called Libation. It was a multi-story dance club that suited his needs just fine. The club's lower level always played some kind of electronic music with a heavy thumping base, which made it difficult to actually talk to anyone, not that he really needed to talk to achieve his goal. He smirked as he made his way onto the dance floor. The crush of bodies all around him, sweating, heaving, swaying… it was easy to become disoriented. However he'd done this enough. He'd learned how to move with the humans around him, to become another wave in the sea of hormones and lust.

The thumping beat vibrated through his body as he slid through the crowd, his eyes searching. They came to a halt on a table just off the dance floor where two young women were giggling and leaning towards each other in order to talk. He plastered a friendly and welcoming smile on his face as he made his way towards them. One woman was tall and heavy-set with waves of curly chestnut hair framing her round pale pink face. Her knee length black dress with turquoise accents on the skirt and shoulders slimmed her body and went well with her black heels. The second woman was short and had deep cool brown skin that complimented the silvery halter dress she wore. A short afro of tight spirals sat on top of her head, the sides trimmed close to her skull. They appeared to be friends, and judging by the lack of other drinks at their table, they were without dates for the night. Perfect.

A smile and two outstretched arms with _come hither_ fingers was all it took. The two women looked at each other for a second then followed Jareth out onto the dance floor. The thumping baseline and flashing lights dictated the pace of their body movements as they swayed together. Their hips moved as one. Sweat dripped down their bodies. Hands gripped hips. Thrusts and grinds mimicked the carnal movements that all three imagined happening later in a more private setting. Several songs merged into one long dance session until one of the women mimicked drinking from a glass. The other two nodded and all three headed toward the bar.

Jareth bought their drinks and they made their way back to a table. "My name's Hope," the woman with chestnut hair introduced herself.

"And mine is Jada," the woman with the afro said. "You're one hell of a dancer," she grinned before sipping at her cocktail.

"Thank you! And my name is Jared," Jareth replied, using one of the names he rotated between for these occasions.

"Are you here alone, Jared?" Hope asked.

"Alas, I came with a friend, but he seems to have found someone more interesting to spend the night with," Jareth let out a put-upon sigh.

"Oh, well you're welcome to hang out with us," Jada offered.

"That's most gracious of you," Jareth smiled. "Would you care to dance again?"

The two women slammed back the rest of their cocktails and followed the man out onto the dancefloor again. Once again, the beat consumed them and their bodies moved to match. Several more rounds of drinks and dancing followed until the two women were tipsy enough that they had trouble standing up. Jareth gently suggested they find a place to spend the night and the two women agreed eagerly.

A hotel only two blocks away worked perfectly. Jareth paid cash for a suite with one king sized bed. The women giggled and clung to his arm as he paid. However the hotel desk clerk didn't even bat an eye. It was pretty obvious that he'd seen this before and knew what would be happening in the king sized bed. The fae led the women over to the elevator and pressed the button for the thirteenth floor. Room 1307 held a minibar, which the two women broke into as soon as they entered the room. They flopped down on the bed, spilling vodka along the way. Jareth slowly stripped out of his shirt, carefully unbuttoning each button down his chest. The women giggled and settled back to watch as he unbuttoned the cuffs and slipped out of the sweat soaked black Oxford shirt.

Hope had reached back for the TV remote during this and turned on a channel with upbeat music. Jareth swayed his hips to the music, thrusting in time to the beat as he worked his fingers under the band of the dark denim. He undid the button and worked the fly down, giving a peek of the navy blue briefs underneath. The two women cheered him on until he finally worked the denim down his pale slender legs and tossed them in the corner. However the briefs stayed on for the moment and Hope and Jada admired the bulging front as they rose from the bed and slipped out of their dresses. Manicured nails lightly scratched down Jareth's back causing a shiver to ripple outward. He grabbed a hold of the hips in front of him, tugging them closer to better grind against them. Flushed bodies tangled together in the dark room as panting breaths provided a counterpoint to the music still playing from the TV.

They tumbled to the bed. One woman sat astride Jareth, her body ready to take in his if not for the damned briefs still in the way. She moved off of him and motioned for her friend to come closer. The two of them worked together to slide the briefs off, their nails slightly scratching his inner thighs and making him shudder. One worked her way back up his body until her breasts were above his mouth. He reached up and gently cupped them, fingering the nipple before leading her down to his eager tongue. The other woman sat astride him again and ground their hips together, moans spilling from her open mouth.

He reached one hand down and stilled her hips, eliciting a disappointed whimper. "Let me fill you. Let me give you what you want," he whispered in a sinful voice.

She whimpered again and rose just enough to position him at her entrance before slowly sinking down. She began to grind again, but with higher pitched moans this time. The other woman guided Jareth's head back to her breast and he renewed his attention to her, lapping and sucking eagerly. One hand made its way down between her legs and began to stroke gently but firmly there. She moaned and whimpered, holding his head close to her chest.

The woman riding him sped up, chasing her orgasm. Jareth matched her pace with his fingers between the other woman's legs. The three of them panted and groaned, riding the edge. The first to go crashing over the edge was the woman wiggling on Jareth's fingers. She let out a loud moan and jerked several times, her hands still clutching Jareth's head to her breasts. Jareth was the next to let go, emptying himself into the woman still riding him for all she was worth. He gritted his teeth as the orgasm was pulled from him and extended until her silken walls fluttered and contracted around his cock. She groaned as she fell sideways off of him and onto the bed. The three of them gasped for air, their sweat soaked, cum streaked bodies recovering from their exertions.

After several long minutes, Jareth rose and went into the bathroom. He came back with two damp cloths and gently cleaned the three of them before climbing back into bed between the two exhausted and already half-asleep women.

 _Five Hours Later_

Jareth buttoned the cuff of his black Oxford shirt as he listened to the morning news turned on low. The news anchor was covering the lead story for the morning, a homicide several weeks old that had just been discovered in the Ridgewood district of Queens. The news anchor stood in front of a residential area, an ambulance and several police cars in the background and police tape marking off the entrance to one apartment building in particular.

"This is the sixth victim of the _Ghost Murders_ , so dubbed because the peculiar lack of evidence leading towards a culprit. Police are baffled by this lack of evidence. One anonymous source said that if he didn't know any better, he'd say there wasn't another person in the room at all. However all of the victims have been found to have died from exsanguination, that is from blood loss. The problem being that nobody can figure out how or where all of the blood went as no weapon or blood has been found at _any_ of the crime scenes."

Jareth finished buttoning his shirt and slipped his jacket on. He sat at the foot of the bed to listen to the end of the news report.

"Police Chief Russo has stated that there will be an official announcement in regards to this case later today. This has been Sarah Williams, reporting."

Jareth smiled and watched the older, but still familiar face look into the camera. Her long dark brown hair had been cut short, into a more professional style. And her face that had once held soft round cheeks was now more sharp and angular. Her style and appearance may have changed, but she was still the Sarah Williams who had run his Labyrinth all those years ago. "Sarah, my dear," he sighed. "I'd feared you would not find my gift to you in time."

He stood and brushed off his jacket before starting to weave a complex spell into a crystal sphere. He brushed it back and forth across his palms and the back of his hands until the sphere was bursting with magical energy. When he was ready, he tossed the sphere into the air above the bed. It burst and rained down a cascade of dark sparkling glitter. It swept away any trace that he had been in the room; any fingerprints, bodily fluids, and hairs disappeared, leaving two cold pale still women lying on the bed with space in between them for one more.

"Well, my darlings, I doubt you'll have to wait as long as poor Raina did to be found." He gave them a soft smile. "Housekeeping should be along in a couple of hours."

He turned back to the TV. Sarah was answering a question from another anchor back in the studio. "You have an exciting day ahead of you, dear Sarah. I hope you enjoy my new gift. After all, I move the stars for no one, but you."

With that, he snapped his fingers and the TV flickered off. Another twirl of his gloved hand and he was gone. No trace was left of him except a lingering smell of peaches that would be long gone by the time housekeeping showed up.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Gear up, because _Serenity_Stardust_ talked me into making this into an actual chapter story instead of a one-shot. Things to look forward to: dark (really dark) Jareth, journalist Sarah, murder mystery (except not really because y'all already know who did it), and stalker Jareth. Be forewarned.

No guarantees on a regular update schedule, but I will definitely try. How's that? *puts hand over Yoda's mouth*


	2. Chapter 2 - The 13th Precinct

**The Ghost Murders**

 **by: Ismira Daugene**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The 13th Precinct**

 _*Eight Months Earlier*_

Sarah Williams quickly moved through the bustling news room. She'd just heard the news about Sherri, and she knew it hadn't been announced to the public yet. She figured Sherri's husband and their two young boys already knew, but she was damn sure that no one at work knew yet. She had to get to Amin quickly to let him know. If another news outlet released the information on their own reporter before they did it wouldn't look good. Besides, Sherri deserved better than that. She deserved respect and there was no guarantee that would happen if another media source led the story.

Amin was right where Sarah knew he'd be, in the thick of things in their newsroom giving orders and last minute edits. "Amin!" she called out as soon as she opened the door.

"Not now, Sarah, it's go time! We've got forty two minutes before evening news airs!"

"Yes now! You need to hear this," she insisted.

Amin turned with a frown. He knew Sarah fairly well by this point as she'd been working as a weekend correspondent covering small town festivals and such for the past year and a half. She also had covered as an anchor once when Brian had been out with appendicitis. He knew Sarah wouldn't pull him like this unless it was important. Amin handed several papers to Vance and gave him short concise instructions about what he needed to fix before it could be released. Then he marched over to the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. "What is it?" he asked crossing his arms

"I just got word from my source on the police force. They've found a body in an alleyway in northwestern Brooklyn. They've already identified it as Sherri Thompson," Sarah said quietly.

Amin's eyes grew large and his arms fell from across his chest. "Sherri? _Our_ Sherri?" Sarah nodded, and Amin leaned back against the glass wall of the newsroom, his hands coming up to cover his face. They slid down until they only covered the end of his nose and mouth. "How?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hands.

"They don't know," Sarah replied. "All my source told me was that it was Sherri and it looked like massive blood loss, but there was no blood at the crime scene."

"Damnit," Amin murmured. He swore again in Arabic a second later. "We're going to have to announce this to the staff and release it to the public one on top of the other," he said finally, his arms dropping to his hips and leaning forward off the glass wall. "We need to announce it to the crew before releasing it on air though. Can you get the technicians and camera crew into the newsroom? I'll get everyone else." Sarah nodded, her lips pressed into a grim sympathetic smile. She didn't envy Amin one bit.

The entire crew of channel four news was gathered in the newsroom with in ten minutes. Sarah took a seat towards the back, one hand wrapped around a comforting styrofoam cup of black coffee she'd picked up along the way. "Right, I've got some difficult news," Amin called everyone to order. "One of our sources in the police force just confirmed the identity of a body found in northwest Brooklyn a little while ago, and I'm sorry to say that it was one of our own. Sherri Thompson is gone."

There were several gasps around the room. "I know this is going to be hard for everyone here, but we're going to have to release this tonight. We can't trust any other news outlet to give Sherri the respect she deserves. However we'll have a moment of silence now in her honor." The newsroom was the quietest it had ever been as everyone present honored Sherri's memory. After a minute had passed, Amin spoke again. "RIght, thank you for that. Sarah," he called out. "You're the one with the source information. You up for taking the lead on this?"

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise and she nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Great, you're on in thirty. Go visit the makeup room and draw up any notes you'll need. Let's get moving people!" He clapped his hands twice and the entire newsroom started bustling again.

* * *

Sarah plopped down on the soft brown suede couch in the living room of her apartment. It had been a long day of reports, follow up reports, and one very long conversation Amin about continuing to head up the investigation for Sherri's murder. She was excited to be given a real assignment and not some small town news story. In fact, there was a bottle of noir sitting in her pantry that seemed appropriate both in celebrating her new position and in honoring Sherri's memory. Sarah pushed herself up and off of the couch with a small grunt and was halfway to the pantry when her cellphone rang.

She paused for a moment, considering not answering it, but then turned around back to the couch. It could be a useful update on the murder. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was her friend, Miguel. "Hey, Miguel. Got anything new for me?" she greeted him. Miguel was her friend with the NYPD. He worked for the thirteenth precinct in Manhattan, but had good buddies in several other precincts including the seventy-sixth where Sherri's body had been found.

"What the fuck, Sarah," he growled as soon as she answered. "You said you'd keep this on the downlow, not go talking about it on channel four news! I trusted you!"

Sarah cringed. "I'm sorry, Miguel. I really am, but we had to lead with the story because it was one of our people. We couldn't let someone else take it from us. It would've made us look like idiots. And Sherri deserves better than to have her former workplace be deemed incompetent!" She'd been practicing what she would say to him, because she knew this was coming. She knew Amin would want to run the story as soon as he heard it. And normally, she respected Miguel as a source because he was really good at giving her tips. Not only that, but they'd gone to the same high school together and even dated for a little while. (Though that ended pretty quick when Miguel realized he was more attracted to Danny, the boy who sat next to him in trigonometry.)

Miguel groaned over the phone and Sarah could just see him pinching the bridge of his nose. "Right, I suppose what's done is done," he grumbled. "But the next time I tell you to keep something to yourself until I say so you do it! Got it?"

"Cross my heart and swear to die," Sarah replied. "So is that all you called for? To chew me out?"

"No," Miguel's tone shifted and Sarah could tell something else had come to light in the investigation.

"What is it?"

"You remember how I told you that she found dead from massive blood loss?"

"Yeah?"

"Well she was drained of nearly _all_ her blood."

"What? What does that mean?"

"We're not sure yet," Miguel admitted. "My buddy in the seventy-sixth also said that there were no visible wounds that would have caused such massive blood loss, nor was there any blood at the crime scene."

"Well she could've been moved?" Sarah suggested.

"Yeah, that's what we thought too. But forensics is telling us that where she was found is where she died. There's nothing indicating she was moved," Miguel relayed. "And on top of that, there's no evidence from the perp! You'd think there'd be _something_ left behind, but there's nothing! Almost like a damn ghost killed her."

Sarah paled slightly at the next thought that ran through her mind. "Should people be worried? I mean, is the public in danger?"

"The seventy-sixth and all surrounding precincts have already released a statement telling people to be more cautious and to travel with someone when possible," he replied. "We have no idea who did this, Sarah. We have no idea what the motive was or if they'll strike again!"

"Calm down, Miguel," Sarah replied urgently. "Look, are you still at the office?"

"Yeah, just sitting in my squad car."

"Look, I was about to open a bottle of wine. Come over and we'll drink it together."

Miguel sighed. "Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes."

 _ ***Eight Months Later/Present***_

Sarah's phone rang as she climbed the stairs to her fourth floor apartment. "Yeah?" she answered not looking at the display first.

"Sarah, where are you?" Miguel asked.

"Climbing up to my apartment, why?"

"Oh, I'm at your door."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Be there in a sec." She hung up and continued climbing the red carpeted stairs until she reached the top. She found Miguel leaning against the wall next to her door. "What are you doing here, Espinoza?" she grinned. "Thought you'd still be at the station this time of day."

Miguel pushed off from the wall as Sarah unlocked her apartment door. "I was going to stay longer and try to help out with the latest Ghost victim, but Chief sent me home. Been working since one this morning when they found the body of Raina Teague."

Sarah glanced at the clock on the wall above the TV and saw that it was just about noon. "So you came to my place?" she set down her purse on the table and went to the fridge to grab a couple of sodas. She came back into the living area (separated from the kitchen only by a different style of tiles on the floor) and handed one to Miguel.

"Yeah, I'm still on call, but chief sent me to get some sleep. Figured I'd take you up on your offer to crash here." He accepted the soda and cracked it open before sitting down at the small two-chair table that usually just held the mail.

Sarah, upon moving into this apartment, had enlisted Miguel's help moving her things into the four-story walk-up. The old brownstown building also just happened to be a five minute walk away from the thirteenth precinct offices. To thank him for helping her move, Sarah had offered to let Miguel sleep on her couch any time he wanted. Something he'd taken her up on a few times. "Mi casa es su casa," she said before taking a long sip from her can.

Miguel did likewise and sighed as he set down the can on the table. "The longer this case goes on, the more confusing it becomes," he said staring at the half open door to Sarah's bedroom. "I mean, things just don't add up. There's no connection between the victims. The killings just seem to be at random. The only pattern is in the cause of death, but that's a whole other boat-load of confusion too!"

Sarah leaned back in her own chair and nodded along. "It is confusing," she agreed. "I mean, how do you exsanguinate someone without leaving a mark on them or any blood behind?"

"Well if you find out, do share," Miguel muttered before slugging down another mouthful of soda.

Just then, the familiar theme song to _Hawaii 5-0_ started to play and Miguel dug for his phone in his pocket. Sarah sent him a _Really?_ look and took another sip of her soda. "Espinoza," he answered. The other side of the conversation was quiet enough that Sarah couldn't hear it, but that didn't matter because Miguel was nodding and saying he'd be right in and hanging up a minute later.

"What's up?" she asked.

Miguel eyed her for a minute, deciding whether to tell her or not. "You're gonna find out anyway in a bit. There's been another murder. A double homicide this time."

"Ghost Murder?" Sarah asked leaning forward.

Miguel nodded after slugging the rest of his soda. "Fresh this time too. Looks like it only happened a few hours ago."

"We're getting closer," Sarah smiled.

Miguel shrugged. "I don't know. They were found in a hotel room by the cleaning staff. Could be the killer meant for us to find them sooner what with how long Raina Teague took to find."

Sarah nodded soberly. "So how long should I wait do you think?"

"Give it a half hour. With all the police being pulled in on this, it won't go unnoticed long," Miguel stood and checked his sidearm before making his way to the door.

"Oh, Miguel!" Sarah called out. "Which hotel?"

"The Marriott in East Village. Half an hour," he pointed at her sternly before disappearing out the door.

Sarah counted to thirty before calling her camera guy, Charlie, and telling him where to meet her and ordering a Lyft to pick her up in five.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Hey all, just wanted to let you all know that I'm trying to keep to a weekly update schedule for you. I was also going to try for longer chapters, but that's just not going to happen with my job being all hectic. Hope you like the new chapter! I rather like Miguel; I hope you will too!


	3. Chapter 3 - Phobetor's Revenge

**Chapter 3: Phobetor's Revenge**

 **by: Ismira Daugene**

Sarah twisted around, searching desperately for a way to get to Toby. Her heart, already beating a million miles an hour, kicked up another notch as she saw him move towards a large hole in the floor. "No!" she shouted before leaping into thin air. However everything slowed down all of a sudden. The room broke into a thousand pieces, spinning through the air. She gently landed on a narrow stone walkway with a darkened arch at the end. She stared at the arch as the Goblin King cautiously stalked through, a frown on his face.

He started to speak, but Sarah paid no attention. She knew this part of the story. She knew what to say, what to do. All she had to do was remember. He moved toward her, circling her, all the while spouting the dialogue she knew he had to say. The words to convince her to stay. But she couldn't… not with Toby alone and lost somewhere. The final words where on the tip of her tongue. Remember! Remember!

He sent one more plea to her...one last desperate attempt to win the game. But she was prepared. She could do this. "You have no power over me," she said.

He looked surprised at first, but his lips slowly stretched into an evil smile. His eyes narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Oh but I do. You gave it to me the moment you entered my Labyrinth, Dear Sarah." He stepped closer, his next words nearly a whisper. "And I intend to hold it over you until your last breath."

With that he started to laugh, a high bone chilling sound. Sarah stepped back, her eyes sweeping the area for an exit, but found none. She turned back to the Goblin Monarch to see him still chuckling. However his eye-teeth were elongating slowly into points. He crouched slightly for a moment before springing forward! His sharp teeth aimed at Sarah's throat. She screamed and held her arms in front of her face.

"Sarah!" a loud masculine yell jerked her awake. "Sarah! Are you alright?!" Miguel asked.

Sarah opened her eyes to see her friend standing in the doorway in his boxers, his service weapon held in a tight grip near his left shoulder. However he was already lowering it upon seeing no one in the room but his friend. "Bad dream?" he asked, his voice back to normal and out of his lower police officer tone. Sarah nodded, still not quite able to talk as she tried to catch her breath. Miguel relaxed out of his stance and walked the short distance to her bed, sitting at the foot. "Wanna talk about it?"

Sarah sat up and scootched closer to Miguel who reached out and wrapped an arm around her to pull her into his side. "It was an old dream," Sarah started.

"Sounded more like a nightmare to me," Miguel replied.

She nodded her head against his shoulder. "I don't think I ever told you about when I was a kid and my brother was taken?"

Miguel's eyes widened and he leaned back to see her face. "What?! No! When did this happen?"

"It was when I was fifteen. I was left at home to babysit my brother. Toby was only about a year old at the time." Sarah took a deep breath and let it back out again before continuing. "This… man came into the house and threatened to take Toby. I… I had to fight him to get Toby back."

"Oh my god, Sarah! How have I never heard this? We knew each other when we were fifteen!"

"Yeah, but we didn't really run in the same circles at the time."

Miguel nodded. They'd known of each other, but had different groups of friends back then. "So what happened?"

"I… I won. The guy disappeared and Toby and I were left alone in the house. I know it sounds crazy…"

"No, Sarah..." Miguel reassured. "I mean, well yeah it kind of does, but I'm in law enforcement. I've seen crazier. People are nuts. So did you ever find the guy? Did he pay for what he did? I mean by my count that's breaking and entering, attempted abduction, and assault. OH! Did he hurt you?!" His eyes scanned her as though to see any injuries.

Sarah shook her head. "No, he… he prefered verbal sparring. It was like he was trying to get me to give up Toby. And there were a few times he almost won. And no, they never found the guy."

"Jesus… that has to be a bit terrifying for you!"

She nodded. "Hence the nightmares."

Miguel rubbed his hand up and down her arm, comforting her. "You're safe here. And your parents would call if there was anything wrong with Toby. What is he, eleven now?"

Sarah nodded. "And just starting middle school."

Miguel chuckled. "Poor kid."

Sarah smiled. "Yeah, but he's a good kid. He'll survive it."

The two sat in the quiet (as quiet as could be in the middle of Manhattan) for a while until Sarah's eyelids started to droop. "Ready to go back to sleep?" Miguel asked quietly.

"Mm hmm," Sarah murmured.

"Sweet dreams. And thanks again for letting me crash here tonight," he said as she moved back up the bed to lay on the pillow.

"Of course," she replied. "Any time."

Miguel exited her bedroom, leaving the door slightly ajar, and headed back to the couch. He lay down again and pulled the quilt up to his chin before closing his eyes. Neither he nor Sarah saw the shadow of an owl pass by the apartment. Nor did they hear the quiet whispering of many small goblin voices.

 **Author's Note:** Phobetor is the Greek god of nightmares…. In case any of you were wondering. Also, sorry for the short update. This week got busy, but I wanted to give you all _something_ to read on schedule.


	4. Chapter 4 - Jailbird

**The Ghost Murders**

 **by: Ismira Daugene**

 **Chapter 4: Jailbird**

Sarah trudged up the steps to her apartment. It was nearing one o'clock in the morning and she was completely beat. She'd spent the entire day chasing down possible interviews for the latest Ghost Murder victims, a pair of young women who had disappeared from a club just down the block from the hotel they'd been found in. Whoever the murderer was, he'd somehow managed to pick the perfect way to walk to the hotel. All of the cameras along the route had somehow gone offline or had errors when the footage was pulled up. Miguel had told her this much, but had refused to say more as he didn't want to get in anymore trouble with his captain. He'd already gotten an earful after Sarah showed up at the hotel crime scene only moments after the police did. Sarah felt a little bad about that, but not enough that she wouldn't do it again. Besides, she'd make it up to Miguel with a beer sometime.

The reason she was only just getting in at this late (or was it early?) hour was because she'd had to wait for the hotel night receptionist to come in for his regular shift. The police were able to interview the man right away as they could get access to his address (something she'd begged Miguel for to no avail), but she had to wait in the lobby of the Marriott until he showed. The information he'd been able to provide was little better than the faulty cameras though. The only thing the guy seemed able to remember were the two women. He could recall a tall guy being with them and that he paid cash, but that was it. A tall male only narrowed down the suspect pool minimally.

Sarah set her purse down on the table and trudged into her bedroom where she changed out of her clothes and into a tank top and a pair of shorts. The only reason she didn't collapse on the bed in her street clothes was because it was her nice interview outfit that she wore when she really needed an interview. She wasn't sure how willing the nightdesk guy would be to talk, so she'd put on her best.

Tomorrow she planned on checking out the club the two women had last been spotted in before the hotel. Luckily, that didn't require her to wake early. So she settled in and pulled the blankets up to her chin, making sure to stick one foot out so she wouldn't overheat.

* * *

Sarah eyed the club before her. It was a three story, narrow, unassuming building with a red facade and a single black sign jutting out from the front with the word Libation written in all capital letters. Honestly it didn't look like much at all during the day like this. The creperie next door was more interesting by half simply because of the delicious smells wafting through the window.

She'd called the club manager to set up a meeting earlier that morning, but their meeting time had come and gone by nearly an hour and Sarah doubted the man would show. She eyed the lock on the door and fingered the lockpick in her jacket pocket. When she'd been a sophomore in college, she'd learned to pick locks because her roommate had been an asshole who locked her out constantly she got mad at her. It had been a skill that had come in handy in other situations as well, but she'd never used it illegally… until now. Sarah quickly made up her mind and moved so she was close to the door. She pulled the lockpick out of her pocket and carefully started to jimmy the lock open. It only took maybe thirty seconds, but in broad daylight it felt much longer and like everyone was staring at her.

Sarah pulled the door open and slipped inside quietly. The place was nearly pitch black inside as all the windows were covered over. Sarah pulled out her cell phone and turned on the flashlight app. A bar took up one side of the long narrow room and a bench with several low tables look up the other. She could see upstairs as well since the ceiling opened up to the second floor which looked to be more of a balcony circling the entire club with low curved sofas to sit on.

The club's layout was not what she had come for though. She'd come to see the security video from the night of the murder. She knew from a police statement that the two young women had left the club at approximately two in the morning. She just needed to see if the cameras caught who they left with, because she found it highly unlikely that they happened to run into the killer outside. It was way more likely they met him here and then moved to the hotel. Sarah hurried back behind the bar and picked another lock to get into the main office. A series of computers, some filing cabinets, and a wall safe filled the room. She sat down at the computer and started it up. Lucky for her, the password and username were generic and written down on a post-it note attached to the monitor. When would people learn?

It took about five minutes for her to find the security footage from a couple of nights ago, and she fast forwarded to right before the women left the club. However right as the correct timestamp popped up, the outside cameras glitched and went black. "Damnit!" she swore. "Not these too!"

She pounded a fist on the desk top and let out a sigh. This was just too coincidental! This guy had to have some kind of electromagnetic pulse device or something! There was just no way that all of the cameras in the vicinity stopped working right when they were needed most. Sarah slumped a bit. However a second later, she straightened again and brought up the cameras inside the club. She searched the dance floor for the two women prior to them leaving and eventually found them at a table in the back. They appeared to be sitting with someone, but they were in the shadows. _Figures…_

However a second later all three of them moved out onto the dance floor after slamming down the last of their drinks. The figure in the shadows was finally visible and Sarah sucked in a startled gasp. There was no way. She hadn't seen that face in over a decade, but there was no mistaking it, even with the shorter hair. " _Goblin King_ ," she breathed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," a voice said from behind her.

Sarah jumped and spun around in the office chair to see a short balding man wearing a sports jacket over a t-shirt and jeans. "How did you get in here?" he growled.

"I - I... " Sarah stammered. "Um, are you the club manager? I'm Sarah. We were supposed to meet earlier."

"Yeah, I was running late. Doesn't mean you can help yourself to my office. And don't bother trying to talk your way out. I already called the cops when I found the door unlocked out front." He jerked his head back towards the main entrance. "So you can just sit tight till they get here."

"But! I - I didn't…"

"You what? Didn't mean to break and enter? Well too bad, sweetheart, cuz that's exactly what you did! Now shut up, huh?"

Sarah groaned and slumped back in the seat again. Two uniformed police officers from the 7th precinct showed up not ten minutes later. They handcuffed her and read her her Miranda Rights before shoving her in the backseat of their car. She was taken back to the station where she was put in a cell and told to wait for an officer to come talk to her. Sarah didn't say anything during the whole process because technically everything they were accusing her of was true. She did break and enter the club and she did trespass on private property.

It took another hour and a half before the door to the cells opened again and a familiar face came through it. "Miguel!" Sarah called out and stood from the low cot she'd been sitting on.

"Sarah! What the actual fuck?" he grumbled. "Breaking and entering?"

Sarah winced and leaned back from the bars. "It's not what it sounds like. I was supposed to meet the guy and he didn't show up. I figured since we had an appointment anyway, I'd just go in."

Miguel gave her a deadpan look and crossed his arms over his chest. "I should just leave you in there overnight," he said.

"But you're not going to because I'm your best friend ever?" Sarah tried hopefully.

Miguel rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not going to, but that's not why."

"Why then?" Sarah asked as another officer stepped up to her cell door and unlocked it.

"Because in return, you are going to tell me everything you found out."

Sarah stepped out of the cell towards Miguel who still stood with his arms crossed over his chest. She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Deal, but I'm not sure how much help it will be."

"I'll decide that," Miguel grumbled as he led the way out of the cell block.

* * *

Jareth took to the sky as Sarah was led out of the club and put into the back of a police cruiser. He'd been sitting in the tree across the street disguised as a raven, watching her as she broke into the building. Frankly, he was a little surprised that she'd go so far as to break the law in her pursuit for information, but she was rather good at that… surprising him.

He spread his wings and let the air currents take him towards the 7th precinct. He wanted to see what happened to Sarah and if she would say anything about him. He knew she must have seen him on the club security cameras. He'd been able to short out the cameras outside, but the interior ones were more difficult. Using magic to short out electricity was an imprecise art. It more often than not resulted in destroying the electronic device, which is why he had tried to avoid the cameras in the club. Had he tried to short out the cameras, there was a strong possibility that he would have shorted out the electricity in the entire club.

The police cruisers led him directly to the 7th precinct where Jareth landed in a nearby alley and transformed back into himself. However instead of his normal clothing, he used his magic to dress himself as a police officer. He was confident that between the uniform, hat, and sunglasses, Sarah would not recognize him. She was led into the precinct a minute or so after he landed, and he followed her in. She didn't say much to the officers when asked about what she'd been doing, so she was put in a cell and told to wait. Jareth settled in to an empty cubicle in the bullpen to wait. It didn't take long before Sarah's friend from the 13th precinct showed up and carted her out, berating her the entire way. He looked her over as she passed, noticing how she held herself with confidence even though she had just committed a crime and been locked up for it.

Sarah and her friend gathered her belongings at the front desk and continued outside. Jareth followed them until they got in her friend's car. He smiled. She was getting closer. And now he was nearly certain she knew he was involved. Perhaps it was time to pay her a visit?


	5. Chapter 5 - Familiar Faces

**The Ghost Murders**

 **by: Ismira Daugene**

 **Chapter 5: Familiar Faces**

 ****Warning for graphic imagery of bodily organs and bodily fluids. They're towards the end of the chapter.**

It had been a week since Sarah had _allegedly_ broken into the club. She was currently on probation and would have to pay a fine. Since it was her first offence (aside from a few parking tickets) and nothing was stolen or damaged, the judge had ruled it to be a misdemeanor. Miguel had said she was damn lucky, a fact that Sarah did not argue with. However he'd badgered her continuously over the past week about why she'd broken into the club and what she'd seen. She'd told him that it was to see the surveillance tapes, but nothing more. How could she say more without revealing her bat-shit crazy past? But if Jareth was killing people in the Aboveground, shouldn't she say something? At least give a description? But then she'd be asked how she knew him and what their relationship was, and how the hell would she answer that?

Sarah growled and pressed her face into her pillow. She couldn't even really be one hundred percent sure that it _was_ Jareth! She had thought for certain that it was him back at the club, but now? Her mind played tricks on her and she was left asking if she was sure? Or had she been seeing things? _How could she be sure?_

She jerked suddenly, her head coming up off the pillow, as the answer came to her. She _did_ have a way of checking to see if Jareth was in the Aboveground. Quickly, she scrambled to her feet and darted out to the living room where a large decorative mirror hung on the wall over the back of her sofa. "Hoggle, I need you," she said quickly as she kneeled on the middle sofa seat to look into the mirror.

There was nothing but silence for nearly a whole five minutes, despite trying again a few times. However right as she was about to give up, there was a ripple across the mirror and it suddenly turned into a window. Inside, she could see the moonlit interior of a stone and wood cabin. A sleepy dwarf with a long nightshirt and a red stocking cap yawned wide before striking a match and lighting a candle. The flickering light cast shadows making Hoggle's creased face look even stranger. "What's this all about then, Missy? Can't ya sees it's the middle o' the night?"

"Hello to you too, old friend," she grinned.

"Old friend," Hoggle grumbled. "Been a while since we spoke. Was startin' to think you'd forgotten me."

"Never," Sarah murmured. "I… I don't have an excuse, Hoggle. Just… just life got in the way."

Hoggle waved a dismissive hand. "I understands, Missy. 'Ole Hoggle don't need no explanations. Just happy ter see ya again." A smile creased his face even more.

"I need your help, Hoggle. And it's important."

"Figured it would be considerin' the time 'o day," he nodded. "What can I do for ya?"

"I need to know… and if you can't answer verbally, just nod yes or no." She took in a deep breath before asking. "Is Jareth in his castle? Has he been in the Underground for the past few months?"

Hoggle's eyes widened and he suddenly looked more awake. "How do you know abou' that, Missy?!" He asked in an urgent whisper. "Has ya seen 'im?"

Sarah swallowed, but her mouth was suddenly dry. "I… I'm not sure. I think I might have."

"The Goblin King's been missin' fer a while now," Hoggle whispered. "Some say he's passed on ter the other side, but more say he's wreakin' havoc in the Above."

Sarah's eyes widened and her heart started to pound quicker. "How long has he been missing?"

"In yer time?" Hoggle thought for a moment, scrunching up his face. "Abou' eight months or so. But before he disappeared he… well he changed, Sarah."

Sarah was almost afraid to ask, "How?" she whispered.

"He was always a bit o' a trickster, but that's nothing out 'o the ordinary for the fae. Over the last couple 'o months before he disappeared though…" Hoggle shivered. "He became cruel, Sarah."

"How so?"

"The Labyrinth has spilled blood," he answered cryptically. "Ain't never been a runner who died before, but there were a few close calls in his last few months here. Ain't never seen him so… heartless. Don't think I'll ever forget the screams," his eyes cast downward and he looked paler.

"Hoggle…" Sarah whispered. "I - I think he's here. I think he's killing people."

Hoggle's bright blue eyes darted back up. "You must be careful, Sarah!" he exclaimed. "Yer life might be in danger!"

"What?! Hoggle slow down! How? Why would he be coming after me?"

Hoggle's eyes grew even wider and his jaw went slack for a moment as he stared over her shoulder. "SARAH!" he shouted, but the window rippled and suddenly Sarah was staring back at herself once more. However she wasn't alone. In the mirror, over her shoulder she saw a tall dark shape.

Sarah gasped and spun around, falling backwards onto the sofa as she did so. "You!" she gasped as he moved into the moonlight.

His light hair turned silver, and his pale skin took on an almost iridescent sheen in the low light. He smiled and his pearly white teeth looked sharper and longer than she remembered. "Sarah," he said in a low purr. "It's been too long."

Sarah's heart was racing, but she slowly rose to her feet. She didn't intend to give him the advantage of hovering over her. "What are you doing here, Goblin King?"

"Oh do call me Jareth," he said as he inched closer. "I do believe the Council of Elders have revoked my title, so it would be quite inappropriate to call me the Goblin King."

"And why have they revoked your title?" Sarah asked, aiming to keep him talking.

Jareth smiled again. "I think you know the answer to that, my dear." There was a space of silence in which he moved closer still and Sarah inched sideways towards her apartment door. "I've brought you a gift," he said suddenly.

"A gift?" she asked, eyeing his gloved hands as one dipped inside his cloak.

He pulled out something about the size of a clenched fist, and it was dripping. He took another step forward and held it out to her. "Do you like it?"

Sarah leaned forward, curiosity getting the better of her. However the moment she realized what he was holding, she felt her stomach jump into her throat and she stumbled backwards with a gasp. "That's a heart!" she exclaimed, steadying herself with the back of the chair at her small table. "That's a human heart!"

"Very good," Jareth smiled. "Top marks for the journalist."

"Where… Who did you get that from?" Sarah's breathing was going just as fast as her heart and she was in danger of hyperventilating if she didn't get control of herself.

"Oh you'll probably hear all about it from that friend of yours in a little bit. I did make sure they would find my work quickly this time." He raised the heart towards his face and stuck out his tongue in order to lick the still dripping blood. "Mmm, B positive if I'm not mistaken," he commented.

Sarah closed her mouth as her dinner threatened to come back up. She backed up a few more steps until she was pressed against her fridge. "Oh my god… You… you killed someone again."

"How very astute of you," he raised one winged eyebrow.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Why… for you, of course!" he said as though this should be obvious.

"Why the fuck would I want you to kill people?!" she shouted at him, anger flaring.

He took another step towards her. He was only a couple of feet away now. "Did you not dream of becoming a famous reporter?" he grinned. Sarah felt her throat close up. "Did you not wish to be recognized for your efforts in journalism? The next Katie Couric, I believe you said?"

Sarah felt the blood leave her face. "I - I didn't…"

"You didn't mean it?" Jareth tutted and waved a finger. "Didn't you learn your lesson when you were fifteen years old, dear girl? We must be careful what we wish for, mustn't we? You never know who may be listening."

"I - I think I'm going to be sick," she gasped. Her stomach heaved just then and the contents of her dinner spilled onto the kitchen linoleum. She dropped to her knees next to the puddle she'd made and heaved again.

"Oh, poor Sarah," Jareth whispered, and suddenly she could feel cool gloved fingers pulling back the hair from her face. "What's the matter, dear girl? Can't handle what it takes to get to the top? I don't see why not," he murmured close to her ear. "After all, I'm doing all of the dirty work for you." He leaned closer still and she could hear him inhale her scent.

Sarah jerked away from him. "Don't touch me!" A cold sweat had broken out over her entire body.

Jareth tutted again, but did back away. "I'm only trying to help you, dear Sarah," he said. "It's the least I could do for my Lady."

Sarah's eyes darted up to look at him crouched next to her. "I'm not your anything," she growled.

"Such fire!" he chuckled. "There's the Sarah I remember! But you're wrong, my dear. You are mine, and I shall make sure your name goes down in history as the lead journalist on the Ghost Murders. No thanks are necessary."

A low vibrating sound was suddenly heard from the countertop where Sarah's phone was charging. Jareth stood and leaned closer to see the illuminated screen. "Ah, that's your dear friend now. I'd best be going. Do take care, Sarah." With that, he waved a gloved hand and disappeared in a cloud of dust and glitter.

Sarah stared at it for a moment as the specks settled to the floor and disappeared. The vibrating phone stopped, but then started again a moment later. She jerked her eyes away from the place _he'd_ stood and made an effort to reach up and tug her phone down. The plug in jerked out as she pulled and she swiped right to answer the call. "Sarah? There's been another," Miguel said in a rush. "They're calling everyone in on this one. It's different than the others. The… the heart is missing." He gulped. Sarah was silent still. She didn't know what to say. "Sarah?" Miguel prompted. "Are you okay?"

"No," she finally broke. "I… Miguel…" she whimpered.

"Stay right there. I'm on my way over," Miguel ordered and hung up.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Apologies for not posting last week. Life got hectic what with Saint Paddy's Day! I consumed no green beer though! Only Killian's Irish Red! ...and a bit of Jameson. ...and a bit of Bailey's. But let's not focus on that! Anyway, here's your update! I really love this chapter! It was a ton of fun to write! Hope you like it too despite the disturbing imagery of that heart... *shudder*


	6. Chapter 6 - Interrogation

**Author's Note: So... um... I apologize for how I kind of disappeared. It's only been *gulp* three months since I last updated. I do have a good excuse though! I was in the middle of writing chapter six when I found out that I was losing my job. And my boss basically blamed everything on me and said I wasn't making enough progress despite how many supports she was giving me. (I'm an English teacher.) So yeah, found out my contract wasn't being renewed for the school year, had to start job hunting, had to still finish out this school year, and then had to actually write the dang chapter. On the plus side! I finished the story! I'll be posting the final two chapters later this week. I hope you enjoy it!**

 **-ID**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Interrogation**

" _Sarah? There's been another," Miguel said in a rush. "They're calling everyone in on this one. It's different than the others. The… the heart is missing." He gulped. Sarah was silent still. She didn't know what to say. "Sarah?" Miguel prompted. "Are you okay?"_

" _No," she finally broke. "I… Miguel…" she whimpered._

" _Stay right there. I'm on my way over," Miguel ordered and hung up._

Sarah held the phone to her ear for a moment longer before reaching up to set it back on the counter. She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. She tried to breathe in, but her breath caught and she suddenly realized she was crying. Tears were streaming down her face, and she couldn't seem to breath very well. "It's all my fault," she whispered, and gave in to the full body racking sobs she'd been trying to hold back.

This was how Miguel found her fifteen minutes later. He'd had to use his spare key to get in as Sarah didn't even hear him knocking. He'd barged in, service weapon drawn. However he holstered it once he ascertained that the apartment was empty aside from her. He took in the small, shivering, sobbing woman on the floor and the puddle of sick next to her. "Oh Sarah," he whispered as he crouched down. "What happened?"

"He… he was here," she sobbed.

"Who?" he reached out for her and she let him pull her closer, away from the puddle of sick. Her bare legs and arms had goose flesh covering them, and sweat clung to her body.

She sobbed harder, but managed to choke out, "Him… the man who… who tried to kidnap Toby."

Miguel straightened in shock and clutched her tighter to his chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck by this point and her face was pressed into his shoulder. He stood with her then and walked into her small bedroom. Grabbing a blanket, he set her down on the bed and wrapped her in the warm dark blue fleece. Miguel then grabbed a small duffel from Sarah's closet and stuffed some clothes and a pair of tennis shoes in it before zipping it up. "Come on, Sarah. Let's get you out of here." He pulled her up and led her back out into the living room where he found a pair of sandals to slip on her bare feet. However when he turned to help her put them on, he found her staring at a spot on the floor.

"What is it, Sarah?" he asked.

She didn't answer, but she shuddered and stepped back. Miguel looked closer and found that there were several circles of bright red liquid on the floor. It appeared to have dried slightly around the edges. "Is that blood?" he asked looking up at Sarah's face from his crouched position. Sarah nodded, a frown on her face. "Is it yours?" She shook her head. "Is it his?" She shook her head again. "Okay, I'm gonna need some help on this one, Sar."

"It… it was from a heart," she murmured. "He had it in his coat."

Miguel's face paled. "I'm going to call this in and then I'm taking you to my place. Captain Donoghue will want to talk to you, but he can do it later." WIth that, he slipped his cell phone out of his back pocket and quickly tapped the screen a few times. He looked up at Sarah again while the line rang. She was shuddering and looked close to tears, so Miguel stood and pulled her so she was facing away from the blood spatter. He gestured to the flip flops he'd pulled out of the closet and physically stood between her and the blood.

"Donoghue," the Captain answered.

"Cap," Miguel addressed him. "I think we're going to need a forensics team at 230 East 18th Street. I've got blood and an eyewitness of the perp. Pretty sure tests will show a match to the latest victim." Miguel listened for a minute as Captain Donoghue spoke. "Right. I'll leave a key under the mat outside the door. I'm going to take Sarah to my place." He paused for a moment and let out a sigh. "Yes, that Sarah. If you need her or me, you know where to find us."

With that, he hung up, picked up the bag he'd packed, and wrapped an arm around Sarah's shoulders. He steered her down to his squad car sitting on the curb and bundled her in. It only took fifteen minutes before he pulled up in front of his own apartment building. The street was quiet in the late night as he helped Sarah out of the car and up the stairs into his building. Miguel kept a watchful eye on his friend as he settled her onto his patched second-hand sofa. She was pale and her skin felt clammy. He was pretty sure she was in early stages of shock, which if left untreated could be fatal.

Without showing how worried he was, Miguel pulled a heavy blanket from the closet in his bedroom and wrapped it around Sarah. He then had her lay down on the sofa and propped up her legs a bit with some pillows. "Let me know if you start feeling sick again," he said before popping into the bathroom. When he returned, he held a washcloth soaked with warm water. He used it to wipe away the sweat and left-over sick from her face. "There, feeling any better?" he asked.

Sarah glanced up at him and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Right, so I'm just gonna warn you that Captain Donoghue is probably going to stop by in a couple of hours. He'll want to know what happened. If you don't feel up to telling him, we can probably put him off for another few hours, but the sooner he knows what this creep looks like and what he said to you the sooner he'll be behind bars and _everyone_ will be a bit safer."

Sarah nodded, yawning a bit as she did so. "Can I get some water?"

"Of course," Miguel rose from his seat on the edge of the couch and came back a minute later with a cool bottle of water from the fridge. "Here," he handed it to her. "Why don't you try to sleep a little bit? I'll wake you up when Cap is ready for you."

Sarah nodded and put the cover back on the bottle. She fell asleep quickly as exhaustion set in.

 **oOoOoOo**

Sarah woke up to the sound of two men arguing. "She just got to sleep a little while ago, Cap," Miguel's voice said.

"I don't think I need to tell you how much I would love to just let people tell me things in their own time, but that ain't never gonna happen," another voice said. "Besides, if we do it now it'll be done and over with."

Miguel let out a huff, but didn't protest. "Wait in the kitchen," he grumbled. A moment later, a hand was gently shaking Sarah awake. She stretched and blinked up at her friend. "Cap is here. He wants to ask you a few questions if you're feeling up to it."

"Or even if I'm not," Sarah mumbled as she sat up.

Miguel grimaced. "You heard that, huh?"

Sara nodded and pulled the blanket around her shoulders, keeping it wrapped around her as she stood to make her way over to the kitchen table. Miguel wordlessly handed her a fresh cup of coffee. She smiled at him before turning her attention to Captain Donoghue. She took a sip of the black brew as she waited for Miguel to bring over two more mugs one for the Captain and one for himself. "What can I do for you, Captain?" she asked. She wasn't sure how much sleep she'd gotten, but she felt a bit more like herself after the nap.

"I need you to tell me what happened in your apartment earlier this morning, Miss Williams," he said getting straight to business.

Sarah nodded and took another fortifying sip of coffee. Obviously she couldn't tell him that the Goblin King had just appeared in her apartment. Nor could she tell him how he had poofed out again. She really didn't want to relive the moment she found out all of the deaths were her fault, but it gave plausibility as to why he was there in the first place. Sarah sighed and nodded. A lie was always easiest if it had elements of truth to it.

"I was sleeping when I heard someone out in my kitchen. Came out, thinking it might be Miguel only to find _him_ ," she started.

"What's his name?" Captain Donoghue asked, writing down what she was saying in a little notebook.

"He calls himself Jareth," Sarah answered (they would never find him in any database). "I don't know his last name."

"And how do you know him?"

"He was the man who tried to kidnap my little brother when I was a teenager," Sarah said bluntly.

"And why would he bother with you now? Was he never caught for kidnapping your brother?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I never reported it," she looked down at her cup of coffee. "It happened while my parents were out. I was babysitting when he broke in and tried to take him. Never said why, just wanted Toby. I fought him off. Landed a good blow to his head with the fire extinguisher from the kitchen, and he took off."

"Why didn't you report it?"

Sarah shrugged. "There was nothing to go on. I was sixteen. My brother and I were just fine, and I didn't really have a good relationship with my parents at the time. They would've thought I was lying for attention or something."

Donoghue frowned, but didn't press further. "Right, let's get back to earlier this morning. What happened when you found this man in your apartment?"

Sarah proceeded to tell the Captain about how Jareth had taunted her and told her that she was the reason he was killing. She described how he'd pulled the dripping heart from his cloak and licked it. (Miguel gagged at this.) She finished by telling how he promised to make her famous for the Ghost Murders then just left when he saw Miguel calling her cell.

"He left? Just like that?" Donoghue asked incredulously.

Sarah nodded. "He never showed any sign of wanting to hurt me. More like he just wanted to be recognized for his… deeds."

Donoghue set down his mug of coffee a bit stronger than he probably intended, making some of the black liquid slop out onto the table. "This is one sick man," he grumbled wiping a hand over his face. Sarah could see dark circles under his eyes and felt a little bad for him. Obviously this whole thing was keeping the police force up for long periods of time with no sleep. "Any idea why he would come after you again?" he asked after a minute.

Sarah shook her head. "The only thing I can possibly imagine is that he saw me on TV while I was reporting on something."

"Yeah, but this is a hell of a step up from kidnapping. Did anything else happen during your first meeting with him?" Donoghue asked.

Sarah blushed slightly. "There were some sexually charged comments he made," she murmured thinking of their meeting in the tunnels and in the ballroom. "But nothing came of it. I hit him pretty hard with the fire extinguisher before he could do anything."

Donoghue sighed and gulped down the last of his coffee. "Alright then. Thank you for your statement, Miss Williams. Forensics will be finished at your apartment by noon. I recommend staying here with Detective Espinoza until that time." He gathered his things, nodded at Miguel, and left.

"Wow," Miguel commented after.

Sarah only nodded before finishing off her coffee.

"Sarah, if you ever need to talk about… things," Miguel gave her a concerned look.

Sarah nodded, appreciating the offer. "I think right now what I'd like most is to get some more sleep."

Miguel gave her a small smile and offered his bed to her. "Seriously, I'll be up for a while anyway. One of us might as well use it."

"Thank you," Sarah accepted and shuffled off to Miguel's bedroom, still wrapped up in her blanket cocoon.


	7. Chapter 7 - Proposition

**Author's Note: As promised, here is chapter seven. It's shorter, but chapter eight will be up very shortly. Planning on having it up by Wednesday (Jun 27). Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter 7: Proposition**

It was a week after the incident in Sarah's apartment and she was still staying with Miguel. She'd gone back to her place to grab some things, but had asked to stay at her friend's apartment because she really did not feel comfortable going back there alone. Miguel understood completely and borrowed an air mattress from a guy at work so they would both have a comfortable place to sleep at night.

Unsurprisingly, there had been no leads on Jareth. Neither his name nor his appearance (which Sarah had sat down to give to a police sketch artist) brought up anything. Miguel was disappointed by this and tried to act encouraging for Sarah. However Sarah was not surprised in the least, but she couldn't really tell Miguel why.

It was while Sarah was at lunch with her boss, Amin, that the topic she dreaded came up. He offered his condolences for what she'd gone through then immediately jumped into asking her for an exclusive interview. Sarah _really_ didn't want to do it because of Jareth's admission that he was only killing to make her famous. In fact, she didn't want anything to do with the Ghost Murders at all. However she was still the lead reporter on the case and Amin wouldn't let her back down from it.

"Sarah, why are you trying to make me look bad?" Amin asked as he speared some fresh greens from his salad onto his fork.

"I'm not, Amin," she retorted stabbing her pasta a bit more viciously than necessary. "I just don't want to do an interview on a highly traumatic event in my life."

"Well some of the other news sources are starting to find out that it was you who talked to police and gave an eye witness description of the Ghost Murderer, and they're all starting to wonder why we don't have anything in our news cycle about it." Amin raised a single eyebrow. "You aren't going behind my back to another journalist are you?"

Sarah glared at her boss. "I would never do that, Amin," she protested. "And honestly, I don't know how anyone got my name from the police report. It was supposed to be confidential."

Amin shrugged. "You aren't the only reporter with a friend on the force."

Sarah sighed, but couldn't really blame other reporters for doing the same thing she did to get a hot lead. "Look, what happened ten years ago and last week was not easy to tell to the police let alone a reporter! My god, I'm not even really sleeping at night, Amin! Nightmares of him haunt me and I wake up drenched in sweat more often than not! And this is what he wants! He _wants_ me to tell my story, to become famous from it! I don't want to give him that."

Amin chewed as he pondered this. Eventually he swallowed and pointed his fork at her. "Okay, so part of the reason he's killing is to make you famous by being the lead reporter on the case, right? Well if you gave an exclusive interview, you'll have accomplished that and he may stop killing."

Sarah frowned. "That's not how he works, Amin," she said quietly. "He would just find another reason to keep killing. Or some other way to torment me."

Amin sighed and set his fork down. "Fine. I won't badger you about an interview anymore," he relented. "But please promise me that if you ever change your mind…"

"You'll be the first person I talk to," Sarah finished for him. "Thank you, Amin."

Her boss nodded and went back to eating his salad. "I think I can spin this anyway," he said. "Something about how we want to respect the privacy of our reporters and not make them relive traumatic events. Yeah, I can work with that," his eyes brightened and suddenly there was a pen in his hand and he was scribbling away on a napkin.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but was glad he wasn't pressuring her anymore.

She went back to Miguel's place that evening. He was still on duty, which meant she was alone… or so she thought until a voice called her attention. "Sarah Williams?" Sarah screamed a little and jumped as she spun around to see three people standing on the other side of Miguel's living room. She held small can of pepper spray up, pointed at the strangers. "Who the hell are you?! What do you want?"

There were two men and a woman. The woman gently raised one hand and flicked her fingers. The can of pepper spray flew from Sarah's hand into the space between them. "That won't be necessary," she said in a calm voice.

Sarah's eyes were as wide as saucers as she stared at the strangers in a new light. They were dressed in robes of deep plum that were more fitted at the top and flared open below the waist. There was also an insignia of some kind on their left shoulder. It was obvious they belonged to some kind of organization. "Who are you?" Sarah asked again, a bit calmer this time.

"I am Amara," the woman replied. "And this is Declan and Driscoll," she pointed at the two men on either side of her. Sarah noticed at that moment that they appeared to be twins. "We are part of the Underground Investigation Bureau. May we speak with you?"

Sarah hesitated a moment before nodding. They obviously had powers, but didn't seem to mean her any harm. She gestured toward the kitchen table and all four took seats. "So you're fae?" Sarah asked once all were seated.

Amara nodded. "We are. I suspect you know why we are here?"

Sarah swallowed heavily and nodded. "Jareth," she murmured.

"That is correct," Amara confirmed. "We know the events that took place ten years ago in the Underground and of the murders here, but if you could enlighten us as to his visit with you a week ago, we would appreciate it."

Sarah clenched her hands together, but took a deep breath before telling them exactly what had happened. How she'd been talking to Hoggle when he'd shown up. What he'd said about making her famous and killing for her. How he'd had the heart of some innocent person in his cloak. When she finished, Amara looked as calm as ever, but the twins looked slightly disturbed.

"Sarah, what do you know of the fae?" Amara finally asked.

The human woman shrugged. "Just that you live in the Underground, are supposed to be tricksters, and that you can control magic."

Amara nodded. "Let me tell you a bit more. Fae are tricksters by nature, as you said. However occasionally they become obsessed with one thing. In the case of Jareth, former King of the goblins, he became fixated on you."

"What? Why me?" Sarah straightened.

"We're not sure. It could have been when you won his game in the Labyrinth, or it could have just been a random occurrence. All we do know is that he is out of control."

"No kidding," Sarah muttered. "I mean, he's licking people's hearts!"

Amara shifted slightly at this. "Another thing you should know about fae," she said. "We survive by drinking the blood of other creatures."

Sarah paled at this. "Hold on," she held up a hand. "You're vampires too?"

Amara grimaced at the word. "Vampires are crude creatures who multiply by biting a living being and killing it. They also have very limited magic." Sarah felt that she'd struck a sore spot with the woman. "Fae, on the other hand, do not generally kill their prey. They procreate as humans do instead of biting other creatures. They are also far more genteel, and they have an expansive knowledge of magic," Amara continued. "The only similarity between our two species is that we consume blood in order to live."

"Sorry," Sarah mumbled. "I didn't know."

Amara waved it off. "I did not expect you to. However now you do." She leaned forward then. "Ms. Williams, we have a proposition for you. We would like you to help us catch Jareth."

"How?"

"With a trap, of course," she smiled.

Sarah felt a tingle go up her spine. "Let me guess, I'm going to be the bait?"

Amara only continued to smile.


	8. Chapter 8 - Finale

**Author's Note: Warning for mature content right away at the beginning. Also, thanks for sticking with me even through the long pause in writing. I hope this was worth it for you. I'm happy with how it finished. It's not quite how I envisioned it from the beginning, but it works and I'm glad it's done.**

 **Chapter 8: Finale**

Jareth led the young man into the alley that ran behind the club. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd last killed and he was _hungry_. Not only was he hungry, he was angry. Sarah had not done what he'd expected. She had not run with the story of the Ghost Murderer to her little news friends. She had kept quiet. Only told the police. Didn't she know he only did this for her?

"Where are you taking me?" the young man behind him asked. "Not that I'm complaining, the view back here is excellent."

Jareth slowed to a stop and turned to face him, his mouth curved in an unsettling grin. "Just here, I think," he replied.

The other man halted as well. His eyes traveled up Jareth's lean figure until they got to his face. He stepped back slightly at the grin. "Um…"

Jareth stepped closer though, boxing him in against the brick wall of the building with his arms. He pressed closer and leaned down to whisper in the man's ear. "This is what you wanted isn't it? Me, alone?" He pressed his hips against the other man's, grinding against him subtly. "What's your name again, love?"

"Jake, but you can call me whatever you want," he groaned.

Jareth ground up against him harder, pressing their erections together. Jake moaned and clung to Jareth's jacket. "Oh god! Don't stop!"

Jareth picked up speed, grinding against his partner while he leaned down over him pressing his mouth to Jake's neck and sucking at the skin there. "Guh… yes… there!" Jareth smirked before biting at the already bruising skin. He reached down with one slim hand to play with Jake's scrotum, teasing and tugging. "Oh god! Please!"

"Please what, love? Please get you off? Please make you cum in your pants like an over eager teenager?"

Jake only made a high pitch whine at these suggestions and thrust himself forward into Jareth. Not a minute later, he let out a loud groan as he finally released. Jareth thrust a few more times against him before he too released. They both leaned against the wall, panting. "That was excellent," Jake grinned. "Up for round two back at my place?"

"Hmm," Jareth leaned back a little to look at the man beneath him. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm afraid I'm a bit peckish now."

"That's cool, we can grab something to eat on the way," Jake smiled.

"Yes, we could do that, or…" Jareth trailed off as he smiled and his teeth elongated.

Jake's eyes widened and he struggled to get away from the fae. "What the fuck?!"

Jareth held tight to his bicep though and struck forward quickly. His sharp teeth sank into Jake's neck causing blood to spurt forth. He drank it down eagerly.

"HEY!" a feminine voice echoed down the alley.

Jareth jumped, his fangs jerking out of Jake's neck. The young man whimpered as he struggled weakly against the fae's hold. Jareth's grip didn't falter though. "Nothing happening here, go on your way," Jareth growled in a low voice, trying to put a subtle magical command element with it as well.

"I doubt that," the woman said as she stepped closer. Jareth couldn't quite see her face, covered in shadows as it was. "Let the kid go, Jareth."

His eyes widened and his face split into a grin as he recognized the voice finally. "Sarah," he purred. "Whatever are you doing here, precious?" He still did not let go of the struggling man.

"Stopping you from killing another innocent," she answered as she came to a stop a few feet away. "Let him go."

Jareth looked down at the man shaking under his grip and shrugged before releasing him. Jake looked back and forth between Sarah and Jareth for a moment. Sarah nodded to encourage him to leave and he didn't hesitate to stumble away as fast as he could. Jareth turned towards Sarah then and casually took two steps forward. There was still a good ten feet between them though. "You have my attention, Sarah," he said in a low voice. "May I ask how you found me? Or is this merely coincidence?"

Sarah held her ground. Her hands were in loose fists at her sides and her feet (outfitted in simple black and tan flats) were shoulder width apart. She wore a mid-thigh length light beige trench coat and dark jeans. Jareth looked her up and down, trying to decide what her strategy was.

"I had some help finding you," Sarah answered.

Jareth's eyes widened and he growled slightly. "I can guess from whom," he said. "And I can guess why you're here then. I _can not_ say I'm very impressed with your ability to distract me though."

"I've distracted long enough, I think," she replied.

He frowned then waived a gloved hand, but nothing happened. "Your friends seem to have put a magical damper on the alley, Sarah. Though if they were truly your friends, they wouldn't leave you all alone with me," a small menacing grin returned to his face as he began to walk towards her.

Sarah backed away a few steps, but a voice called out from behind Jareth, distracting him. "She's not alone." The former Goblin King whirled around to see a fae woman dressed in deep plum robes, her chestnut hair pulled back into a knot at the base of her skull. "You're surrounded, Jareth. Will you come quietly?" She asked.

Jareth growled and whirled back towards Sarah, rushing her and grabbing her by the throat. He whipped around her and pressed her up against his chest, back to front, one hand held her throat tightly while the other wrapped around her left bicep. "I could kill her easily, Amara," he shouted towards the other woman. "No magic necessary."

At this, two other fae men moved into view. Sarah recognized the twins. She gasped as Jareth tightened his grip and pulled her back a step with him. Both of her hands came up, clawing at his arm, but he didn't even seem to notice. "Let her go, Jareth. Let her go and we can still say you came willingly," Amara called out.

Jareth continued to back away from them, occasionally looking over his shoulder to make sure there was no one else. If he kept going, he'd soon be out of the alleyway and able to use magic. "And be locked up for the rest of eternity in some dungeon?" he called back. "I think not."

The three fae agents slowly followed him as he backed away. "Jareth, please! Just let me go!" Sarah tried begging.

"And lose my only bargaining chip?" he grumbled in her ear. "This is all your fault anyway, dear. I only did as you asked. My only desire was to fulfill your wishes!"

"I NEVER wished for you to kill people!" Sarah's voice rose. However she yelped as he jerked her more firmly against him, causing her to stumble slightly.

"You didn't have to," he snarled. "All of you humans are enamoured with death and the macabre! Had I given you a string of happy stories no one would've even noticed! You'd still be a second rate reporter if I hadn't given you this! Just remember that, dear. Remember that you and all your lovely race are the reason I killed in the first place!"

"You made your own decisions, Jareth," Amara said, having overheard the conversation. "Now you must take your consequences for those decisions."

"The only thing I'll be taking is my leave," Jareth snapped. He was just outside of the alleyway on the sidewalk now. "And I think I'll take the lovely Sarah with me so you can't use her against me again." With that, he twirled a gloved hand again… but nothing happened _again_. "What have you done?!" he snarled, choking off Sarah's breathing.

She gasped and dug her nails into his coat sleeve, hoping to hurt him, but had very little luck. The twins and Amara drew closer. "Let her go, Jareth," Amara repeated.

The fae behind Sarah growled and waited till Amara and the twins were almost upon them before thrusting her forward at them. Sarah stumbled and fell, but one of the twins (Driscoll, she thought) caught her. Declan and Amara both leaped forward catching hold of Jareth's arms. The fae fought, swinging his fists like a common street brawler, but was easily tackled. Amara slipped a pair of iron cuffs onto his wrists, tying them behind his back before Declan tugged him upright again.

Driscoll left Sarah to go help his brother. She lightly massaged her throat, knowing there would be bruises. "So what happens now?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

Amara turned to address her. "We'll take him back to the Underground where he will be tried, found guilty, and locked up for a very long time."

Sarah eyed the iron handcuffs. "And he can't do magic with those on?"

"No, besides being made of iron, they also have spells woven into them cancelling out his magic," she paused and looked at the purple gem Sarah wore on a gold chain around her neck. "Speaking of which…" she held out her hand.

"Oh! Yeah!" Sarah slipped the fine gold chain over her head and handed it to the fae woman. "It's a good thing you gave me that. I probably would've been god knows where if he'd been able to magic away with me."

"A handy precaution," Amara smiled. She'd given Sarah the necklace back at Miguel's apartment. The gem in it had been imbued with spells to cancel out any magic in a ten foot radius of it, ensuring that if Jareth went after her (as they suspected he would) he wouldn't be able to do any magic. "It's time we leave," Amara stated. "We're starting to accumulate attention."

Sarah looked around to see that several people were gawking their way. She nodded. "Thank you for your help."

"No, thank _you_ for your help, Sarah Williams. We've been hunting Jareth for months now with little to show for it. He would always sense our magic and flee when we got close enough. Your assistance has been invaluable," Amara insisted.

Sarah nodded her acceptance of the thanks. Amara, Driscoll, and Declan moved Jareth into the alleyway, hidden from the prying eyes of those on the sidewalk. Sarah watched, but they disappeared as she blinked. That was it… it was done. Jareth could no longer haunt her. She felt a chill sweep down her spine, though whether it was from the cold night air or what had just happened she couldn't say.

She walked back out to the sidewalk then and hailed the first taxi she saw.

 _**Two Months Later**_

Miguel reached over to the pizza box laying on Sarah's coffee table. He pulled out another slice of pepperoni and green bell pepper pizza with extra cheese, plopping it on his paper plate. The TV in front of him was showing an episode of The Great British Baking Show. Sarah came back over, two ice cold sodas fresh from the fridge in her hands. She passed one over to him. "Thanks," he accepted. He popped open the can and took a sip, eyeing his friend as she took bite of pizza. "So…" he started. "How are you, Sarah?"

The woman glanced over at him. "Fine?" she replied.

"Well it's just that you've buried yourself in work so much that we haven't hung out much since you moved out of my apartment after…" he trailed off.

Sarah sighed and set her slice of pizza down. "You know how there haven't been anymore leads on the Ghost Murders?" she asked.

Miguel nodded. "Yeah, most people down at the station think something big is coming."

Sarah shook her head. "It won't."

"How do you know?"

"Miguel…" Sarah hesitated. Miguel was one of her closest friends. She could trust him. And he deserved to know after everything he did for her to help after Jareth visited her apartment. "There's something I have to tell you." She told him everything. From what happened a decade ago, to more current events. He sat quietly listening. He did not interrupt, nor did he give much indication of what he was thinking. When she finally finished, she took a sip of soda and looked up at him. "Well?"

"That's… incredible!" he burst out. "I - I've never met anyone else who's been there!"

Sarah stared at him blankly. "What?"

"The place you described! The giant fucking maze? The Goblin City? I've been there too!" His excitement turned to self-disappointment quickly though. "I - I used to have a little brother too, Sarah. His name was Hector. He was only three and I was ten years old." He looked down at his hands clasped tightly around his can of soda. "I wished him away during a temper tantrum."

"Oh… Miguel," Sarah reached over and gently rested her hand on his arm comfortingly.

"I didn't win him back," Miguel finished. "When I got back it was like he had never existed though. Mama and papi didn't even remember him. His old room had been turned into a guest bedroom. I was the only one who remembered differently."

"I can't imagine how difficult that must have been."

Miguel sent her a small smile. "Thanks, Sarah. It's been more than two decades, but I still think about him sometimes. I wonder what his life is like and if he remembers his family."

Sarah's brow furrowed. "I think I might have a way of finding out for you."

Miguel's eyes widened. "How?"

Sarah sat up and kneeled on the couch so that she was looking into the mirror over it's back. "Hoggle, I need you," she said into it. It took a couple of minutes, but suddenly a ripple went through the mirror as though it was a pond instead of a piece of glass. Miguel stared in awe when it showed the inside of a wood and stone cabin. A small man with white hair, weathered and tanned skin, and wearing a red cap stepped into view. "Sarah! Good to hear from ya again! What can I do fer ya?"

Sarah looked over at Miguel who had also sat up on his knees to better see into the mirror. "Hoggle, this is my friend, Miguel. I have a favor to ask on his behalf." She explained the situation as Hoggle nodded along.

"I has a couple o' ideas on how to find 'im," Hoggle tapped his chin as he thought. "Give me a week and I'll get back ter ya."

They said a few more things before Hoggle left, cutting off the spell. Sarah and Miguel sat back down on the couch, Miguel looking shell shocked. "You okay?" Sarah asked.

Miguel looked up at her and gave her a teary smile. "Sarah, you just told me in the span of the last hour that the Ghost Murderer has been caught and no more innocent people will die, I wasn't crazy when I was ten and I actually wished away my brother, and that I might get to see Hector again." He swallowed. "I am not okay, but… I think I will be."

Sarah smiled and reached over to hug him tightly.

One week later, Hoggle called on Sarah and Miguel again… along with a young man with shoulder length black hair, rosy cheeks, and dancing nut brown eyes. "Hector," Miguel whispered. Sarah leaned over and put an arm around Miguel's shoulders as the two brothers started to talk.


End file.
